This disclosure relates generally to polishing a component and, more particularly, to protecting selected areas of a component during polishing.
Many components are polished, including used components and newly-manufactured components. As an example, used gas turbine engine airfoils are often polished to restore their aerodynamic efficiency. Polishing the components enhance their performance within the gas turbine engine. Polishing operations may include hand or machine blending, tumbling, or vibratory polishing.
Material is removed from components during polishing. Removing material from some areas of components is undesirable. For example, excessive removal of material from an airfoil leading edge or an airfoil trailing edge may render the component unsuitable for further use.